Brits invading again with ‘Operation Mincemeat’

By Rich Fahey

BOSTON – The British Invasion Redux.

This time, they’re not coming in on the back of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, or lanterns signaling one if by land, two if by sea.

A recent run of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” reminded us how we love the humor of that iconic British comedy troupe.

The new musical “ Operation Mincemeat,” now at the Emerson Colonial Theatre through Oct. 25 can certainly —  in its tone and broad humor —  be considered a close cousin.

“Operation Mincemeat” is a story that has been told in many different ways through several mediums through the years. Most recently, it was a 2021 movie starring Colin Firth and the musical won Britain’s 2024 Olivier Award as Best New Musical. It was nominated for four Tonys, including Best Musical, and won one for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

It has a lot to recommend it, including many moments of individual and group brilliance, but the production has bumpy moments at times, often for reasons beyond the cast’s reach.

The show is performed in the same gender-switching mode as the Monty Python films, and its five actors play a total of 80 roles, spanning a wide range of dialects, ethnicities, etc. The show requires the same kind of split-second timing seen in another worthy British Tony-winning import: “The 39 Steps.”

“Mincemeat” is based on a true story that takes place in 1943 in the midst of World War II, when Germany controlled the European continent. British MI5 counterintelligence agents procure the dead body of a homeless man who ingested rat poison and concoct a completely new identity for the corpse, with a complete backstory. He is dressed in the uniform of an aviator, sealed in a cooler, and then ejected from a British submarine near the coast of neutral Spain.

The papers the agents planted in a briefcase on his corpse eventually make their way to Hitler, convincing him that the Allies will begin their invasion of Europe in Sardinia, when in fact they plan to do so in Sicily. As a result, Axis troops are diverted to the wrong Italian island and the Allies take Sicily.

Katie Kleiger is Ewen Montagu, the charming and egotistical upper-class Brit who along with Jake Bentley Young as the brilliant but socially awkward Charles Cholmondeley become the MI5 duo who champion the scheme to a skeptical Colonel Johnny Bevan (Mariah Copeland). There are many others, including a pre-Bond Ian Fleming, trying to get their foot in the door of the colonel’s office to offer their own ideas to win the war.

Erin Ramirez is Jean Leslie, part of the rousing musical number “All the Ladies.” The number is a tribute to both her and the other women like her who fought sexism and misogyny that was part of the wartime agency. She later has a hilarious turn as a M15 spy in Spain charged with first recovering the briefcase and then making sure it stays in Spanish hands until it can make its way to Hitler.

The book, lyrics and music are by triple Tony Award nominees SpitLip, comprised of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts. Their oft-brilliant score crosses many genres but owes much to up-tempo works such as rockers “Hamilton” and “Six.” However, the hip-hop vibe combined with a mushy sound mix made catching some of the lyrics very difficult at a recent performance.

A very modest orchestra –two keyboards, an electric bass and drums – perform the score. Yes, technology means you can do a lot with a little, but it doesn’t go unnoticed and may also be part of the muffled lyrics.

When the tempo of the score slowed, as it did in the poignant, powerful ballad “Dear Bill,” a “love letter” to the corpse performed by Luke Anthony Neville as buttoned-up secretary Hester Leggatt, the work was often sublime. It was the song that earned Jak Malone his Tony Award. Leggatt was another of the few women who were able to climbs a few rungs up the ladder in M15.

The scheme wasn’t all guts and glory, however. The fact that the Security Service made no effort to contact the family of the man who passed away is a sobering thought.  The man — Glyndwr Michael – eventually gets a suitable send-off.

While the score often doggedly moves the story forward, there are a couple of numbers in Act II that are stand-alone and not exactly story-centric. “Das Übermensch” is a goose-stepping take-off on “Springtime for Hitler” from “The Producers,” and “A Glitzy Finale” is a more traditional nod to old-time musicals.

The choreography by Jenny Arnold is creative and fast-stepping, requiring the same precision timing as the character changes.

Director Robert Hastie is charged with making it all work, and it does, wonderfully, except for a few small bumps in the road.

“Operation Mincemeat” has all of the trademarks that have made previous British imports a hit with American audiences: Clever British wit, a great story, and an incredibly flexible and talented cast.

The North American touring production of “Operation Mincemeat.” Book, lyrics and music by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts. Directed by Robert Hastie. At the Emerson Colonial Theatre through Oct. 25. BroadwayinBoston.com.